Device for transferring hollow glass objects from a glass-forming machine onto a conveyor belt

ABSTRACT

A for horizontally transferring at least one hollow glass object from a dead plate of each section of an I.S. (Individual Section) glass-forming machine to a conveyor belt which is common to all sections is characterised by a transfer device ( 30 ) which is connected via a carrying bar ( 42 ) to a guide piece ( 35 ) which can be displaced along two guide rods ( 36 ) which are disposed in a housing ( 13 ) in parallel with each other at a mutually spaced disposition and extending in a horizontal manner. A freely rotatable roller ( 32 ) which is disposed on one end of a crank ( 28 ) engages in a groove ( 34 ) of the guide piece which extends in a perpendicular manner with respect to the two guide rods ( 36 ), wherein the crank ( 28 ) can rotate about an axis ( 8 ) which extends in parallel with the axis of the roller ( 32 ). The housing ( 13 ) is mounted for this purpose via a hollow shaft ( 9 ) which extends coaxially with respect to the axis ( 8 ) and inside which hollow shaft is mounted in turn a shaft ( 11 ) which drives the crank ( 28 ) and is operatively connected to a drive unit ( 22 ). The drive unit  22 ) thus serves to displace the transfer device ( 30 ) via the crank ( 28 ) and the guide piece ( 35 ) in the longitudinal direction of the carrying bar ( 42 ), whereas a further drive unit ( 14 ) which is drive-connected to the hollow shaft ( 9 ) is intended to rotate the transfer device ( 30 ) about the axis ( 8 ). The device requires an extraordinarily small volume of installation space and is characterised by a structurally simple construction.

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of Claim 1.

In the case of a known device of this type (CZ 288 848 B6) a first driveunit enables the transfer device to pivot in a reciprocating manner.Furthermore a second drive unit is provided, the driven shaft of whichrotates constantly in the same direction and by means of a pair ofcranks in the shape of a parallelogram enables the transfer device tomove radially in a reciprocating manner into and out of contact with thehollow glass objects. This device is costly to construct. The device formoving the transfer device horizontally in a linear reciprocating mannerrequires a large volume of space and has an unfavourably large masswhich is to be periodically accelerated and decelerated.

The object of the invention is to simplify the device enabling thehorizontal movement in a linear reciprocating manner of the transferdevice and to make operation thereof safer.

This object is achieved by virtue of the features of Claim 1. The devicewhich enables the transfer device to move horizontally in a linearreciprocating manner requires a small volume of space, is stable and canbe actuated in a sensitive manner by virtue of the associated seconddrive unit.

The features of Claim 1 are structurally particularly simple.

In accordance with Claim 3 the guide piece is guided in an extremelyprecise manner during its linear movement.

In accordance with Claim 4 it is also possible if required to installtwo mutually parallel carrying bars.

The features of the claim ensure that the at least one carrying bar isguided in a precise manner during its linear movement.

The electro-servo motors in accordance with Claim 6 render it possiblefor the transfer device to pivot and to move in a linear direction in anextremely precise and reproducible manner.

The toothed belt gear mechanisms in accordance with Claim 7 are othertried-and-tested structural components and render it possible for theturning moment to be transmitted in a slip-free manner.

The feature in Claim 8 enables the toothed belt to be tensioned in aconvenient manner.

These and further features and advantages of the invention are furtherdescribed hereinunder with reference to the exemplified embodimentillustrated in the drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a device,

FIG. 2 is essentially the partially sectioned view along the line II-IIin FIG. 1 and

FIG. 3 is essentially the cross-sectional view along the line III-III inFIG. 2.

FIG. 1 illustrates a device 1 for transferring hollow glass objects 2(FIG. 2) from a dead plate (not illustrated) of a section of an I.S.(individual section) glass-forming machine on to a conveyor belt whichis common for all sections. Such devices are known per se and thereforea detailed description of their structural details is not required here.

The device 1 comprises in accordance with FIG. 1 a plate-shapedcomponent 3 which is fixedly mounted on the machine. Above the component3 is disposed a cover plate 4 which is screwed to the component 3. Abearing bush 5 is inserted into a central bore of the component 3 andscrewed to the component 3 by means of screws (not illustrated). Tworoller bearings 6 are inserted into the bearing bush 5 and secured atthe top by means of a cover ring 7. The cover ring 7 is fixed to thebearing bush 5 by means of screws (not illustrated).

A hollow shaft 9 which can pivot about a vertical first longitudinalaxis 8 is mounted in the two roller bearings 6. In the hollow shaft 9there is mounted by way of two roller bearings 10 a shaft 11 which canrotate about the first longitudinal axis 8.

A housing 13 which is disposed above the cover plate 4 is attached atthe top to the hollow shaft 9 by means of screws 12.

A first drive unit 14 is attached by means of screws 15 at the bottom toa first holding device 16. The first holding device 16 is drawn by meansof screws 17 against a lower side of the component 3. Each screw 17penetrates an elongated hole 18 of the component 3 which extends in thedirection of the first longitudinal axis 8. A driven shaft 19 of thefirst drive unit 14 is connected to the hollow shaft 9 by a first gearmechanism 20 which is in the form of a toothed belt gear mechanism.

The shaft 11 can be rotatably driven by a second drive unit 22 via asecond gear mechanism 21 which is in the form of a toothed belt gearmechanism. The second drive unit 22 is attached by means of screws 23 atthe bottom to a second holding device 24. The second holding device 24is in turn fixed by means of screws 25 and associated elongated holes 26in the component 3 in such a manner as to be adjustable relative to thefirst longitudinal axis 8.

If in the case of each of the drive units 14 or 22 the tension in thetoothed belt of the associated gear mechanism 20 or 21 is to beadjusted, the associated screws 17 or 25 are slackened and theassociated holding device 16 or 24 displaced radially outwards withrespect to the first longitudinal axis 8, until the desired belt tensionis achieved. The screws 17 or 25 are then retightened.

A crank 28 of a device 29 is screwed to an upper end of the shaft 11 bymeans of screws 27. The device 29 is disposed substantially inside thehousing 13 and serves to enable a transfer device 30 to movehorizontally in a linear reciprocating manner in the directions of adouble arrow 31. At a free end of the crank 28 is mounted a freelyrotatable roller 32 with a perpendicular second longitudinal axis 33.The roller 32 engages with a slide-fit into a groove 34, which extendstransversely to the directions 31 of the reciprocating movement of thetransfer device 30, in a guide piece 35 of the device 29. The guidepiece 35 can be displaced in the directions 31 of the reciprocatingmovement of the transfer device 30 on two guide rods 36 which aredisposed at a mutually spaced disposition and in a mutually parallelmanner. The guide rods 36 are fixed by means of screws 37 to the housing13 (cf. also FIG. 2).

FIGS. 1 and 2 both clearly show that the transfer device 30 comprises abase component 38 and for each hollow glass object 2 which is to betransferred a pushing finger 39 which extends in a transverse mannerfrom the base component 38. The base component 38 is connected via atongue and groove connection 40 in a positive-locking manner to aconnection plate 41 of a carrying bar 42. This connection is secured bymeans of screws 43. Each pushing finger 39 is attached by means ofscrews 44 in a releasable manner to the base component 38.

The carrying bar has a circular periphery and slides in the directions31 in a bearing bush 45 which is inserted into a bore in a side wall 46of the housing 13 and is held there by means of screws 47.

At its left end in FIGS. 1 and 2 the carrying bar 42 is provided withtwo diametrically opposite surfaces 48. The carrying bar 42 engages withits end and the surfaces 48 into a recess 49 formed in a complementarymanner in the guide piece 35. Consequently, the carrying bar 42 isprevented in a positive-locking manner from rotating about itslongitudinal axis 50 relative to the guide piece 35. The left end of thecarrying bar 42 is also provided with a centring spigot 51 which has asmaller diameter than the carrying bar 42. The centring spigot 51engages in a complementary centring bore of the guide piece 35 andsupports perfect positioning of the carrying bar 42 relative to theguide piece 35. The carrying bar 42 is drawn by means of a central screw52 axially into its seat in the guide piece 35.

A dot-dash line in FIG. 1 illustrates an upper edge 54 of the conveyorbelt.

FIG. 3 illustrates further details of the device 1 in the cross-section.

The function of device 1 is as follows:

In a starting position the hollow glass objects 2 which have just beenproduced in the associated section of the I.S. glass-forming machine arepositioned on the dead plate (not illustrated in FIG. 2). The transferdevice 30 is not in contact with the hollow glass objects 2 and is shownfurther left than in FIG. 2. The transfer cycle commences when thetransfer device 30 is pushed out of its starting position into a workingposition in which the pushing fingers 39 are disposed in each casebehind one of the hollow glass objects 2. The device 1 is then pivotedabout the first longitudinal axis 8. In so doing the free ends 53 of thepushing fingers 39 quickly come into contact with the hollow glassobjects 2. Following this, the hollow glass objects 2 are transferred bymeans of the pushing fingers 39 normally at least along a quarter circlefrom the dead plate to the conveyor belt (not illustrated in FIG. 2).Subsequently, the transfer device 30 is drawn back into its previouslymentioned starting position, wherein the pushing fingers 39 are removedfrom the hollow glass objects 2. The device 1 is finally pivoted backaround the first longitudinal axis 8 into its starting positionillustrated in FIG. 2.

1. Device (1) for transferring at least one hollow glass object (2) froma dead plate of each section of a I.S. (Individual Section)glass-forming machine on to a conveyor belt which is common to allsections, having a transfer device (30) which comprises a base component(38) and for each hollow glass object (2) which is to be transferred atleast one pushing finger (39) which extends in a transverse manner fromthe base component (38), having a first drive unit (14) which isdisposed fixed to the machine and by means of which a hollow shaft (9)fixedly mounted to the machine in such a manner as to be able to rotatecan be rotatably driven in a reciprocating manner with its perpendicularfirst longitudinal axis (8) by way of a first gear mechanism, wherein ahousing (13) is connected to the hollow shaft (9), wherein the housing(13) comprises a device (29) for moving the transfer device (30)horizontally in a linear reciprocating manner, and wherein a shaft (11)driving the device (29) is rotatably mounted concentrically with thefirst longitudinal axis (8) inside the hollow shaft (9) and penetratesthe hollow shaft (9) and the shaft (11) can be rotatably driven via asecond gear mechanism (21) by means of a second drive unit (22) which isdisposed fixed to the machine, characterised in that a crank (28) of thedevice (29) is connected to the shaft (11), which crank extends into thehousing (13), that a roller (32) is mounted in a freely rotatable mannerwith a perpendicular second longitudinal axis (33) on a free end of thecrank (28), that the roller (32) engages with a slide-fit into a groove(34) which is provided in a guide piece (35) of the device (29) andwhich extends in a transverse manner with respect to the directions (31)of the reciprocating movement of the transfer device (30), that theguide piece (35) can be displaced on at least guide rod (36), which isfixedly mounted on the housing (13), in the directions (31) of thereciprocating movement of the transfer device (3), and that at least onecarrying bar (42) which carries the transfer device (30) is attached tothe guide piece (35).
 2. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterised inthat the groove (34) is formed in a straight line.
 3. Device as claimedin claim 1, characterised in that two guide rods (36) are provided in amutually spaced disposition and in parallel with each other.
 4. Deviceas claimed in claim 1, characterised in that two carrying bars areprovided in a mutually spaced disposition and in parallel with eachother.
 5. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that eachcarrying bar (42) is displaceably mounted (45) in a wall (46) of thehousing (13).
 6. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in thateach drive unit (14;22) comprises an electro-servo motor.
 7. Device asclaimed in claim 1, characterised in that each gear mechanism (20;21) isin the form of a toothed belt gear mechanism.
 8. Device as claimed inclaim 7, characterised in that in order to adjust the tension of atoothed belt of each toothed belt gear mechanism (20;21) a holdingdevice (1 6;24) of each drive unit (14;22) is attached to a component(3), which is fixed to the machine, in such a manner as to be adjustablein a longitudinal direction of the toothed belt.
 9. Device as claimed inclaim 2, characterised in that two guide rods are provided in a mutuallyspaced disposition and in parallel with each other.
 10. Device asclaimed in claim 2, characterised in that two carrying bars are providedin a mutually spaced disposition and in parallel with each other. 11.Device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that two carrying barsare provided in a mutually spaced disposition and in parallel with eachother.
 12. Device as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that eachcarrying bar (42) is displaceably mounted (45) in a wall (46) of thehousing (13).
 13. Device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in thateach carrying bar (42) is displaceably mounted (45) in a wall (46) ofthe housing (13).
 14. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterised inthat each carrying bar (42) is displaceably mounted (45) in a wall (46)of the housing (13).
 15. Device as claimed in claim 2, characterised inthat each drive unit (14;22) comprises an electro-servo motor. 16.Device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that each drive unit(14;22) comprises an electro-servo motor.
 17. Device as claimed in claim4, characterised in that each drive unit (14;22) comprises anelectro-servo motor.
 18. Device as claimed in claim 5, characterised inthat each drive unit (14;22) comprises an electro-servo motor. 19.Device as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that each gear mechanism(20;21) is in the form of a toothed belt gear mechanism.
 20. Device asclaimed in claim 3, characterised in that each gear mechanism (20;21) isin the form of a toothed belt gear mechanism.